The Armenian rug of hope

Friday

Jun 13, 2014 at 6:00 AM

By Harry N. Mazadoorian

Sometimes a meaningful symbol can bring about results not achievable by millions of articulate and well-reasoned words. We have all seen examples where large populations have been moved from lethargy into action by a symbol such as a flag, a gesture or a picture.

One such symbol is a rug woven by orphan survivors of the Armenian Genocide of 1915, many years ago.

This year marks the 99th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. More than 1.5 million Armenian men, women and children perished from deportations, death marches, starvation and outright murder at the hands of the Ottoman Empire.

So great was the sympathy and outrage that a relief effort of unparalleled proportions was undertaken in the United States. The Americans providing humanitarian relief and support for the victims were a virtual who's who of American politics, arts, academia and philanthropy, as well as ordinary citizens, all outraged by the atrocities.

The Near East Foundation raised millions of dollars, the equivalent of several billion today, for humanitarian relief. At the same time, Danish relief workers, Swiss missionaries and people of goodwill from all over the world rushed to create orphanages in Syria, Lebanon, Greece, and elsewhere, providing lifesaving support to the young orphans who survived, such as my mother and father.

Regrettably, the American outrage which followed the horrific genocide waned in ensuing decades. Passage of time, shifting policies in the Middle East and a growing reliance on the perceived strategic role of the government of Turkey, successor to the Ottoman Empire, caused indignation to melt into indifference.

Even efforts to have the United States Congress pass a symbolic resolution recognizing and denouncing the genocide encountered insurmountable resistance. Turkish opposition to congressional action was strong.

Presidents, including President Obama, who pledged to recognize the atrocities as genocide while on the campaign trail, abandoned the pledge once elected for fear of offending a key ally in the Middle East. Euphemisms and cleverly selected words replaced a forthright recognition. The genocide was deftly sidestepped.

Some asked, did recognition of this genocide of so long ago, so far away, of a people so little known, really make a difference? Meanwhile genocide, brutality and killing continue throughout the world.

The "orphan rug" was painstakingly woven by Armenian orphans of the Ghazir Orphanage in what is now Lebanon in gratitude for the lifesaving humanitarian efforts of the United States during the bleakest hours of the genocide.

The rug was presented to President Calvin Coolidge in 1925 and resides in the White House today. Interestingly, the rug resided in Northampton, Massachusetts for some time after the Coolidges left Washington. Awareness of the rug heightened after the publication of a marvelous book about the rug by Dr. Hagop Martin Deranian, who practices in Worcester.

When the rug was requested for commemorative programs by Armenian advocacy groups and by the Smithsonian Institute itself, the White House declined the request, citing what appeared to be hollow logistical and procedural reasons. Speculation was that sensitivity to Turkish denial of the genocide was the real reason.

Organizations such as the Armenian Assembly, a Washington-based entity promoting awareness of Armenian issues, and supportive members of Congress, including Sen. Edward Markey, persisted in seeking release of the rug.

Finally, at the end of April, the White House agreed to release the rug for public display at some time in the future. This is encouraging news and further details about when and where it will be displayed are eagerly awaited.

Why has this single rug, this 90-year-old inanimate object, generated such a passionate interest? What difference could its production or non-production possibly make?

Clearly, the rug is only a symbol, but an extremely visible and powerful one. It represents the spirit of those fragile orphans whose resilience, faith and gratitude kept them going and which brought many of them to this country — many to the Worcester area — to become proud and productive Americans.

It serves as a precious and powerful emblem of respect and gratitude to this country. Something which hapless survivors and waifs created with their own hands — more than four million knots of appreciation.

It also symbolizes the potential for a long-overdue and much-needed transformative healing following one of history's darkest and most tragic chapters.

The rug is part of American history representing this country's pivotal role, throughout its history, in supporting the persecuted and oppressed all over the world. It belongs to all Americans.

Perhaps, after nearly 100 years, the display of this modest symbol will play a role in curbing the brutality and killing which continues throughout the world.

Harry N. Mazadoorian of Kensington, Connecticut is the son of survivors of the Armenian Genocide, both of whom were relocated to orphanages in the Near East, before coming to America where they initially lived in Whitinsville. He is an attorney and a mediator and is the Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Quinnipiac University Law School Center on Dispute Resolution.